HUDSON TAYLOR

You will remember Hudson Taylor who founded the China Inland Mission. But do you know his history? His godly line started with his great grandfather, James Taylor, who lived in the time of John Wesley. He heard him preach a message from Joshua 24:15, "Choose you this day whom ye will serve...but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." He was convicted by the Holy Spirit through this message and on his wedding day he gave his heart to the Lord and determined that his household would serve the Lord. He was even late for his wedding because he was praying for God to bless his home. That's a pretty good excuse, isn't it? He led his new wife to the Lord two weeks later and began a godly dynasty.

All his sons became preachers. All his grandsons became preachers. One of his grandsons was Hudson Taylor's father. This man had a burden for China. Every day he prayed, "Oh, God, send missionaries to China." His son, Hudson, heard these constant prayers and when he was six years old, he got alone with the Lord and told the Lord that he would answer this prayer and go to China to serve God. He never deviated from this commitment and became a great missionary and founded the China Inland Mission.

But it didn't stop there. There are now nine generations of preachers in this Taylor family. There is one serving the Lord in Thailand right now.

THE CAMPBELLS

Perhaps we can get even more personal. My husband, Colin, is one of nine children. They all love the Lord and several are in full-time service for God. The family believes that their great-grandmother played a great part in touching their lives. This great-grandmother was a praying woman. In her later years, she went blind, but this did not hinder her ministry of prayer. She would pray out loud, oblivious to anyone around her.

Many times those listening would be the subject of her prayers! But one of the greatest things about her prayer life was that she prayed for the coming generations. The power of her prayers are being fulfilled today! What a challenge for mothers and grandmothers. I know of one dear great grandmother who instead of taking life easier in her older age, gets up a quarter of an hour earlier every morning each time a new grandchild or great-grandchild is born. She has many, so her day starts very early!

Colin's father also came to Christ because of his grandmother's prayers. Coming home from the city in the early hours of the morning, he would hear his grandmother praying. One night he had a dream that he was going to be hung. He was allowed one request before the hanging and so he requested his grandmother to come and pray.

As she prayed in the adjacent room, her prayers were so strong that every time they pulled the rope, he just floated down. In his dream he realized the power of prayer and it was influential in his decision to become a Christian and walk with God.